For hicsqueak - intimate artistry/accidentally saving the day
oooohhhmg so i was gonna Properly Think about this, and then i rmrd that post about the live drawing model who feel asleep in the middle of a session and faceplanted.
and now iām just thinking about (probs human!au, or magic!illustrator au) Hecate taking a drawing class bc she wants to expand her skills (she is highly skilled at flora and fauna but her human studies are lacking) and Pippa is the model.
obvi thereās a moment of flirt before the class starts - theyāre getting tea before they settle into the evening, when Hecate thinks Pippa is another artist and then finds out she runs the classes too.Ā
Then she realises the cute blonde not only runs that eveningās class but is also the model sheās likeĀ āoh noā and then gets on w life bc sheās got lighting and shade to consider instead of her own embarrassment.
and then 2/3rds of the way thru the evening when itās all warm and cosy and Pippa - whoās been having a rough time lately, sheās in the middle of a lot of major projects w deadlines and sheās been skimping on snoozes (itās why sheās modeling in the first place, she straight up forgot to organise anyone else) - drifts off.Ā
Then slips off the chair sheās sat on. And deadarse floops to the floor.
Everyone moves to help her, and then pauses when they realise they shouldnāt be touching a sleeping naked lady, and awkwardly stare at everyone else in the room for someone to take charge.Ā
Hecate blinks, huffs out a heavy breath, and strips off her shawl; strides forward and out of the crowd to crouch down beside the gently stirring woman on the floor.Ā
The black wool settles over the blondeās shoulders, covering most of her pale skin as she sits up, and stares up, bleary-eyed. Her hair falls to ringlet around her face.Ā
āAre you alright?ā Hecate asks, hands still unsure what to do, now that the model is mostly awake again.Ā
āUmmm,ā she stalls, clutching the shawl to her chest and trying to take in her surroundings.Ā āYes,ā she says after a span, holding out a hand to let Hecate help her to her feet. She winces.Ā āBit bruised, but Iām fine.ā
Hecate smiles, satisfied enough for now. Pippa smiles back, then looks around the rest of the room.Ā āSorry everyone, must have dozed off,ā she says with a deprecating laugh, and the tension in the room ebbs away.Ā āWonāt happen again, promise.ā
The rest of the room take their seats again, settle back into being ready to keep creating; Hecate hangs back, stays where she is, waits a moment longer with Pippa standing in front of her.
She wants to make sure sheās okay.
Then strong hands reach out to grip her biceps, softly,Ā she presses a kiss to Hecateās cheek, holds her lips there a few beats too long.Ā
āThank you,ā she says, heavy with gratitude, for Hecateās ears only.
Hecate canāt help shivering. Nods, a jerky, clumsy movement, as she extricated herself from Pippaās embrace. āYouāre welcome,ā she manages, before scurrying away, back to the safety of her seat, the palm of Pippaās hands still burning on her skin.
Itās not till she picks up her charcoal, ready to recommence, that she realises her black shawl is still draped over those slim shoulders, when it seems to sit so perfectly below golden curls.
And sheās not sure how she should ask for it back, not sure she even wants it backāwhen it seems to suit Pippa far better than it ever did Hecateābut she has the rest of the evening to figure that out.Ā Ā